Rail-joint.



ATBNTED APR. bi, 1905.

No. T86, A 6.

A. G, FLETCHER.

RAUL JNL Ammonium FILED JAN. 1e, 1905.

2 SEEETS-SHEET l.

Mdm@

No. 786,636. PATENTED APR. 4C, 1905.

A. G. FLTER. RML JNT.

A?PLIOATIGN FILED JAN. 19, 1905.

UNTTED STATES Patented April 4, 1905.

PATENT Ormea.

RAIL-JOINT..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 786,636, dated April 4,1905. Application led January 19, 1905. Serial No. 241,859.

To @ZZ wwnt it mm1/y concern.-

Be it known that I, ADDISON O. FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which thefollowingl is a specification.

rhis invention relates to rail-joints of that class involving' arail-supporting chair.

It is one of the primary objects of my invention to provide a chair forthis use which is simple in construction and which can be readily andinexpensively made.

In designating` the invention as a railjoint, this is simply done 'forconvenience, as it will be evident as the nature of the invention isbetter understood that the chair need not necessarily be used at joints,but may be used at other placesfor example, curves-to prevent dangerousspreading of rails.

The chair in practice is adapted to be connected with a cross-tie in arigid or immovable manner. Said chair is provided with means forlimiting sidewise motion of the rail with which it cooperates. In theadaptation of the invention illustrated I provide on the upper side ofthe chair flanges against which the side edges of the base of the railare adapted to abut. These flanges may be of any suitable character. Inthe present instance they are of a resilient nature and serve torestrict the sidewise motion of the rail to the extent of safety,although they yield sufficiently in a lateral direction to prevent theirbeing snapped from place and also to allow for the proper expansion andcontraction of the railchair and cooperating parts without injurythereto. The lateral motion of the rail-limiting' flanges is, as will beevident, almost imperceptible; but it is sufficient to secure theadvantages set forth.

To hold the chair against bodily lateral motion, it may be provided withflanges depending from the under side thereof and adapted to be seatedin channels in the tie. rIhese lastmentioned flanges are also resilient,so as to augment the effect of the flanges on the upper side of thechair.

Means of a suitable nature, such as wings, on one of the bottom flangesof the chair are provided for restricting endwise notion of said chairor motion in the direction of the length of the rail with which saidchair coacts. When wings are provided, they are adapted to engage theside faces of the tie to secure the function set forth.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part cf this specification Iillustrate a form of embodiment of the invention which I will set forthin detail in the following description; but I do not restrict myself tothe showing thus made, for certainvariations may be adopted within thescope of my claims. For example, while 'l state that the several flangeshereinbeforc described are resilient, this is not essential, althoughresiliency is preferred in order to bring about the peculiar resultsbrielly described.

Referring tothe drawings, Figure l is a cross-sectional view of arail-joint involving my invention. 2 is a perspective view of a portionof a tie and a chair, the two parts being separated in order to moreclearly represent theirconstruction. Fig. 3 is a seetional sideelevation, the section being taken through the tie and chair. Fig. at isa top plan View of the blank from which the chair is made. Figs. 2 to t,inclusive, are upon an enlarged scale.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the different views.

In Fig. 3 I have represented two rails, each designated by 2, offamiliar construction and which fit end to end in the customary way.These rails 2 are adapted to be sustained by a tie, as 3, the particularconstruction of which will be hereinafter set forth. The said rails,however, are not directly supported by the tie, but rest directly on achair, as that denoted in a general way by 4. The chair 4 may be made ofany desirable material-for example, heavy sheet metal-which issusceptible to being' swaged. I will denote the blank shown in Fig. 4,from which the chair is made, also by the character Il. The blank isrepresented as consisting of a'rectangular plate. This plate is doubledon itself along the dotted lines indicated in said Fig. 4 to produce theseveral flanges shown in Fig. Q in the finished chair. In other words,there are two flanges,

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each designated by 5, on the upper side of the chair, and three flanges,as (i and 7, depending from the under side ot the chair, the latterflanges constituting' anchering-flanges. il have used diflerentcharacters to denote the depending flanges, for the reason that theintermediate one is deeper than the two outside flanges 6, the latterbeing located. as will be evident, near the side edges of the body ofthe chair. All the thuiges extend the complete length et the chair. Whenl speak olE the length oli the chair, l mean that part thereof whichextends longitudinally et' the rails 2. The parallel fianges 5, whichrise above the upper 'face of the body of the chair, receive betweenthem the bases of' the two adjacent and substantially abutting' rails 2,the under tace of the body being adapted to tit fiatwise and solidlyupon the upper flat tace ot the tie. in the tie and extending' downwardfrom the upper 'face thereotl l forni in seine suitable manner thechannels 8 and 9, the intermediate channel being' denoted by thecharacter last employed and being deeper than the other channels. Theends of the channels, as will be clearly evident upon an inspection of'Fig. '2, open into the side faces ofl the tie. The flanges 6 and 7 areadapted to be driven into and to snugly lit the several channels 8 andf), the intermediate fiange 7, as will be evident, being arranged toenter the intermediate and deeper groove or channel 9. By drivingtheflanges into the receiving-grooves therefor it will be obvious that whenthe chair a rests upon the tie it will be eflfectually prevented frombodily lateral motion, although the several flanges hereinbeforedescribed may operate, by reason of theirspring-like term, laterally.

Referring now to the blank shown in Lt, it will be seen that on whatmight be considered the side edges thereof are two wings, each denotedby l0. Simultaneously with the torina-tion ot the central crease in theblank, which is to produce the downwardly-depending fiange 7 in thelinished article, l bend back these wings lO at right angles to theflange 7, so that in the finished article they will assume the relationshown in Fig. 2. As the several flanges 6 and 7 are driven in thecorresponding grooves the wings 10 upon the end of the intermediate'flange will ride down the sidefaces of the tie until the end face otthe chair strikes the tie, indicating that the chair is in properposition. The flanges, as stated, prevent bodily rocking or lateralInotion of' the chair, while the end wings l0 of the interi'nediate:liang'e etfectually prevent endwise motion ot the said chair. There isno possibility. therefore, of' the latter of itself bodily moving in anydirection. In addition to the means illustrated to bring about thisresult the spikes hereinafter described also aid in securing same andtake otl naturally some of the strain put 'upon the holding parts.

Extending across the sidefaces of the rails at their joint arefish-plates, as ll, of ordinary construction, bolts, as 12, also of'seine suitable kind, passing through registering' perforations in the'webs of' the rails andfish-plates, respectively. The side edges of thebases of the rails and of the fish-plates, it will be seen, bear againstthe upwardly-extending parallel flanges 5, so that not only do saidflanges limit the lateral motion oi the rails, but perform the sameoflice with respect to the {ish-plates. To prevent the fisli-plates andrails from upward displacement, l may rely upon spikes, as 13, adaptedto be driven into the tie 3 at opposite sides of the chair e, and theheads ot which are adapted to overlie the tops et the lianges 5 and theupper faces of the bases of the fish-plates. rlhe spikes thereforeprevent upward displacement of the chair.

It will be evident that the [ianges can each move laterally but slightlyupon vibration of' the rails 2; but they etieetually limit dangerouslateral motion of the rails to an extent sufficient to preventaccidents. As they inove laterally, either inward or outward, theyimpart corresponding motions to the depending anchoring-flanges 6, thevibrations of' the latter being absorbed or taken up by the main or deepintermediate flange 7. Undue outward motion of the side fiange' 5 isprevented by the shanks of' the spikes. The lower edges of the outerbranches of` the doubled flanges 5 are located ashort distance above theupper tace of the tie, so that the latter will not affect the properaction of said ffanges.

lt will be seen that the lower edges of the flanges 6 and? are locatedabove the bottoms of? the grooves 8 and 9, by virtue of which freeyieldahle motion of said flanges is assured. ln addition te this a spaceis provided below each flange, into which water may drain and run offaway from the tie through the ends of said grooves.

The parallel flanges 5 upon the upper side of the body of the plate orchair, it will be perceived, are perpendicular to said body, so thatwhile I secure the advantages attending the resiliency ofl said 'flangesl also render easy the putting in place ot` the rails. As the fiangesare perpendicular to the body or vertical, l can attach the chairs totie and atterward drop the bases of' the rails into the spaces betweenthe said lianges. The joints therefore can be made with rapidity. Thesaid flanges 5, as will be evident, are integral with the plate and aredoubled on themselves, the outer branches of each extending short of theunder tace ot' the body et' the chair or plate, which is one simple andadvantageous way of securing lateral resiliency in said anges.

Having thus described the invention, what l claim is- 1. Arailroad-chair consisting et a plat-e doubled `on itself'l transverselyto present a plurality of ascending flanges, each perpendicular to thebody of the plate and laterally resilient.

2. A railroad-chair, consisting of a platev transversely doubled onitself to present a plurality of depending flanges and a plurality ofascending flanges, each resilient. i

3. A railroad-chair consisting' of a plate transversely doubled onitself te present three depending` flanges, the intermediate flangebeing deeper than the other flange, and two ascending' flanges. eachflange being' transversely resilient.

l. A railroad-chair comprising a plate having [langes integral therewithon the upper side thereof, said flanges being doubled on themselves topresent inner and outer branches, the lower edges cf the outer branchesextending short of the under side of the body of the plate.

5. A railroad-chair comprising a plate having flanges on its upper sideto receive between them the base of a rail, and a depending anchoring-fiange, the latter being provided with means to limit endwisemotion of the plate.

6. A railroad-chair, consisting of a plate having langes on its upperside and anchoring-lianges on its under side, one of the lastinentionedflanges being provided with means to prevent endwise motion of theplate.

7. A railroad-chair consisting of a plate transversely doubled on itselfto present ascending' flanges and descending flanges, one of thedescending flanges being provided with integral wings.

8. The combination of a railroad-tie having a plurality of groovesextending entirely across the same, and a chair provided with depending'flanges to be driven into said grooves, and also provided with ascendingflanges to receive between them a rail or rails, one of the dependingflanges being provided with means to engage said tie to limit endwisemovement of the chair.

9. The com bination of a railroad-tie, a chair rigidly held upon saidtie and provided with ascending flanges, rails fitted between saidllanges, {ish-plates associated with the rails and bearing against theflanges, and spikes adapted te be driven into the tie, the heads of thespikes being adapted to extend over the bases of the iish-plates andover the tops of said flanges.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ADDlSGN C. FLETCHER. l/Vitnesses':

HEATH SUTHERLAND, Geo. W. REA.

